(LEAD) GM to recall hundreds of vehicles with Takata air bags in S. Korea

SEOUL, May 17 (Yonhap) -- GM Korea Ltd., the local importer of General Motors vehicles, will voluntarily recall 712 vehicles with Takata air bags, the government said Thursday.

The recall -- set to begin May 28 -- affects GM's Saab 9-3 and 9-5 produced between July 2005 and September 2008, according to the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport.

Cadillacs sold by the firm and five other models manufactured by GM Korea Co., the South Korean unit of the U.S. auto giant, will be recalled once they secure improved air bags, it said.

Concerns have been rising over the models' air bags built by Japan's Takata Corp., which could potentially hurt drivers when they are deployed. Dozens of deaths and hundreds of injuries have been reported worldwide in connection with the air bags' inflators.

No accidents have been reported in South Korea so far, but the government asked car importers in June 2016 to voluntarily expand recalls on vehicles with the problematic air bags.

People who fixed their cars' defects on their own before the recall was issued are eligible for compensation from the automakers.

The ministry advised owners of the vehicles to visit the recall center's website at www.car.go.kr to get information on the recall.

In this file photo, taken April 18, 2018, workers close the main gate of GM Korea Co.'s factory in Bupyeong, west of Seoul. (Yonhap)